CABIN CREW LIFE

Being a flight attendant is not about just dreaming one day to be one and then the following day, you are already a cabin crew. No it's a far reality from that. Becoming a flight attendant needs a lot of preparation also, mentally, emotionally, and physically. It does not begin when you are already flying, but it begins from when you even start applying. Just for your information, Delta Airlines one time did a cabin crew mass recruitment for new flight attendants. From the 100,000 plus that applied, only roughly a thousand got in and that's 1% of the total number of applicants, even smaller than the acceptance rate at Harvard!

It does not end once you get in. Training and actual flying even need more preparation. Sometimes, there are things you would learn once you start flying which you never learned during training as situations inside the aircraft are totally different from each other and anything can happen, be them in your text books or not. So aside from just dreaming and praying to be a flight attendant, let's start mindsetting and preparing ourselves to be one, and here are ways you can prepare yourself for that cabin crew career.

Start reading in detail from start to finish. Your trainor, lead cabin crew, and purser will not spoon feed everthing to you, you have to learn how to read and know every detail about your job. More than just reading, you have to comprehend and memorize everything required in your CCOMs (Cabin Crew Operations Manual), you have to understand and comprehend them.

Learn to be a team player. An important factor in being a cabin crew is being a team player as inside an aircraft, you do not work on your own individual capacities but you work as one whole team with your fly mates in order to deliver the best service and the most efficient time possible. Moreso, during an emergency, everything has to be well coordinated in order to properly and orderly evacuate all passengers in less than 90 seconds. Just like in a basketball game, even if you are all star players, but if you don't work as a team, you will not win a game. Read more about being a team player here.

Develop your emotional quotient. Emotional quotient is the capability of individuals to recognize their own emotions and those of others, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve one's goal(s)(Reference: Wikipedia). Since you will be encountering different kinds of passengers, some may be good ones and some may be hard headed but you know that there are strict airline policies and procedures to be followed to ensure a passenger's safety, you have to be able to manage your passenger well by properly implementing the strict procedures without getting carried away with your emotions. During an emergency situation also, you have to be able to put your emotions aside so you have that presence of mind what to do and to apply everything you have learned during training on emergency prodedures. Read more about the importance of emotional intelligence in being a flight attendant here.

Develop your interpersonal skills. You will be dealing with different passengers and different colleagues in your job as a cabin crew. Everyday, you will be working with a different set of passengers and a different set of collegues too. As early as now, you have to learn to bust out your bubble when it comes to dealing with different kinds of people and personalities. Just a tip, you need not "magpaka plastic", all you need to do is to learn how to deal with all sorts of personalities by just being yourself. Try attending more social functions and gatherings. Try also joining different civic organizations. They greatly help in developing your interpersonal skills.

Boost up your self confidence. Your passengers will obey and respect you if you look very confident and dignified. This is one thing an airline looks for during the cabin crew screening process, they want you to be confident without having to be cocky. More important than ensuring the comfort and a great travel experience for passengers is your ability to make them obey you when you give out the safety instructions and procedures. Your self confidence will also help you communicate, engage, and deal with more people of different personalities while still being yourself.

Learn how to multitask. There are tendencies wherein you will encounter undermanned full load lights, hence, there will be times when you will be acting as both a galley steward and a regular cabin crew at the same time. You can never say "teka marami ako ginagawa" to your colleague, you just have no choice but to learn how to multitask efficiently and effectively.

​Learn how to take care of yourself physically. Recent study shows that cabin crew have a higher chance of getting cancer over other people, hence, you have to learn to always stay fit and to live a healthy lifestyle. The working environment of breathing dry jet engine air, being exposed to the sun's radiation at 40,000ft, different sleeping patterns, and lack of sleep are some of these contributing factors. Your job also requires you to stay fit all the time as safety professionals primarily and life savers of passengers during an emergency. Well of course, you have to also look good and dignified in your uniforms. Click here for tips on how flight attendants stay fit.

Learn to be selfless but not to the point where your capacity to carry on your primary duties are sacrificed. As cabin crew members, always remember that during an emergency, the lives of other passengers are more important than your own. It is basically your sworn duty as flight attendants. So in other words, you have to start learning to think of other's welfare before your own, but to the point of abuse, somehow set a limit. Example, a passenger asks for help in lifting her luggage unto the overhead compartment because of an injury or certain disability, then by all means you will need to help. But what if passenger asks you to stow his bag because he feels entitled or priviledged? Well, we are sure your airlines taught you how to handle passengers of such type because they are also watching over your physical welfare to make sure you can evacuate all passengers at the quickest time incase of an emergency.

Learn how to swim. Regardless of what airline you apply at, knowing how to swim is very important in training incase a water landing happens during your flight. Ditching like jumping into a deep swimming pool more than 10 feet pool without a lifevest while staying afloat is part of it. Many trainees have almost drowned in this exercise so now, be ready to learn how ro swim. You will really be undergoing this exercise, regardless of which airline you enter.

Get ready for the training program. Think about reading a 500 plus page manual in less than 2 months with exams everyday and a passing mark of 90% up. Why so high? The slightest mistake when it comes to safety can cause lives, so this is why airline training standards are very high too. On top of that are drills and aircraft procedures. Get ready also to take time out from important family occassions as you will be studying most of the time. Well, don't worry, two months of training is nothing compared to years of free travels with family.

Learn proper time management. With your shifting schedules and flying through different time zones, you will definitely learn how to manage your time properly in order to live a balanced life. Ample sleep and rest are still very important. With proper time management, you will definitely learn how to set your priorities also.

Learn to be prudent when it comes to spending. Your salaries may be high or you may be able to fly to countries where items are way lower than the ones in your home country and this may be overwhelming and tempting. This is why you have to learn how to also properly use your money. Learn to use your money wisely like investing in insurance, real estate, or a business. Flying is not forever. Set aside for the future and for unforeseen events. It's not how much you make, but how much you save.

There are actually more ways to get prepared but basically, these are the most common ways to prepare you for your cabin crew career!